Depends on which Department/Lab/Center you work in - Graphic Designer bei MIT: Mitarbeiterbewertung

I have spoken with designers in other areas of the Institute who work on really tight budgets with micro managing bosses, so there are definitely less desirable design jobs around. Also, from a pure creative perspective, graphic design work in academia, especially STEM fields can be a challenging dialogue with clients i.e. professors/academics. It can be difficult to get a scientist or engineer to see past the precise accuracy to their work to allow for something artistic or abstract to be designed.